


An Exchange

by EmilliaGryphon



Series: Guardians of the Galaxy One Shots [24]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), MCU, Marvel
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Bonding, Post Infinity War, Sacrifice, platonic comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 14:30:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19021837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmilliaGryphon/pseuds/EmilliaGryphon
Summary: Rocket said they were going to get Gamora back. He didn't say anything about how.Sequel to A Favor: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14683986





	An Exchange

“You said we were gonna get her back!” Quill sucked a breath through his teeth, shivering in the cold.

“I know what I said,” Rocket growled through gritted teeth. “I didn’t say anything about how.” The humie stepped forward brows knitting in anger. Rocket preparing himself for the fiery words but Drax’s large arm intercepted placing a large hand on Quill’s shoulder momentarily placating the man. The six of them resumed their steely brooding, allowing the wind to take away whatever words they may have uttered. 

“Your companion was sacrificed to the Soul Stone,” the thin voice of the weirdo with the red skull intoned. “In order to retrieve her another must take her place. Only then can you…”

“Yeah yeah, we get it.” Rocket waved a paw dismissively. Mantis sniffled, tears nearly freezing on her red cheeks. She stood beside Nebula who’s look of determination spoke for itself. Finally she stepped forward.

“I will…”

“No,” Quill snapped in that voice Rocket learned to recognize as a mind made up. “I’ll do it,” he breathed, looking around at the rest of them. Nebula’s dark eyes flashed, going immediately to a place of anger.

“I can’t let you do that.” Quill leveled his gaze at the cyborg woman.Years of misbegotten fury projected towards her. Born from Gamora’s half-told stories. He clenched his jaw against the cold of the mountain.

“And why not?” He demanded, the woman remained tense in her place like a spring ready to go off. Unwavering in the frigid wind. Her eyes narrowed, 

“She loves you too much.”  Quill blinked for a moment his face quickly grimacing into anger once more.

“Well...she doesn’t,” he cleared his throat, “exactly hate you either.” Nebula looked away, fists clenching at her side.

“It doesn’t matter, I’ll…”

“I AM GROOT!” Quill, Nebula, Drax and Mantis followed the flora’s wide eyed stare of horror carved into his face. They turned just in time to see ringed tail pitch over the edge of the cliff.  

“No!” Quill sprung, only to be thrown to the ground as Groot’s elongated arm shot past him, following the raccoonoid down over the edge. “Groot,” he gasped watching with dismay as the flora retracted his empty hand. Nebula poised over the edge, head bent, lips drawn into a thin line. The wind howled, Quil groaned picking himself up off the ground watching. Waiting, hung in suspended horror. It had to work...it had to. 

“...Peter?” That voice. Tears pricked the edge of his eyes and he took a breath before turning around. Bracing himself for the possibility of another illusion. Yet there she was, standing before them.

“Gamora!” His arms were around her in an instant gripping her tight. She was here, she was alive and physical and here. He sniffed, throat catching with her scent. He closed his eyes even as Drax’s large arms enveloped around them. Mantis squealed something through her tears but Quill didn’t catch it. 

He clung to her, pressing her tight against him as if he could hold her there forever. Before too long, she grew restless, pulling away. He beamed, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. 

“What happened?” Gamora wondered aloud, head still in a fog though Quill’s embrace was somehow bringing her back slowly, like returning to the surface of the water and breathing again. One minute falling, then pain...then...orange light everywhere and now, here she was standing again on solid ground before them. “Thanos! Did he…?”

“Dead.” Drax broke off his hug, Mantis and Groot and the rest of them parting to behold the  cyborg woman. Gamora could only nod, numb. Her eyes slowly taking them all in. Quill, Drax, Nebula, Mantis, Groot.

“Rocket,” she whispered, searching. “Where’s Rocket?” Quill swallowed folding his arms against the freezing wind. Her stomach dropped. “Peter where is he?!” 

“He jumped,” Nebula answered gruff, still poised over the edge of the presipass. Gamora’s knees nearly buckled. _ I asked him to shoot me,  _ she recalled bits and pieces.  _ He felt responsible. _

“Puppy?” Gamora lifted her head, at Mantis’s gasp of joy; looking past Quill to where something shifted between the craggy rocks.  _ It couldn’t be…. _

“Rocket!” Quill laughed, bounding towards him. “You son of a bitch how...how did you..” Rocket, on all fours curled his body tightly fur bristling,  he bared his pointed white teeth, letting out a low growl. Quill stumbled to a halt hand dropping to his side in defeat. Rocket only snarled once more, his hackles raised staring at them with ferocious fear. 

“I am Groot!” Gamora bit her tongue as Groot shoved past them, reaching out a hand towards Rocket. The raccoonoid’s ears twitched, examining the wooden hand. 

“Furry friend,” Drax’s bombastic voice broke the spell. “We were afraid you were lost to us! What a relief that you…” Rocket snapped his teeth, scarcely missing Groot’s fingertips. He jerked his head backward and uttered a ferocious chittering sound before turning tail and dashing on all fours in between the boulders. Quill’s large eyes stared back at her, searching for answers she couldn’t give. 

\---

Back on the Benetar Gamora watched Quill try to contain Rocket, who hadn’t said anything but hisses and squeaks. “What are we going to do with him? Quill’s border line squeaked.

“Let us keep him!” Drax suggested, making no attempts to come any closer.

“Wh...what keep him? Keep him what like a pet?”  Quill grunted, struggling to manage the writhing animal in his arms. The tattooed man nodded with amusement. 

“No,” Nebula came forward “That is the last thing he would’ve wanted.” As much as Gamora hated to admit it, she was probably right. The he in question twisted his neck, jaws opening and clamped down on Quill’s vulnerable hand. 

“Shit!” He dropped Rocket with a thud, pressing against his wound as the blood dribbled down his arm. “No one help me!” He yelled, dashing after Rocket. Gamora rolled her eyes, s _ houldn’t he know better then to use sarcasm?  _ Still, she  ran down the metal corridors of the ship after him. Drax, Mantis, Nebula and Groot only stared at each other in confusion for a moment before getting the hint. When they finally caught up, the raccoonoid, or actual raccoon as it now appeared, was backed into a corner between two storage bins. Every hair on his body sticking straight up, tail lashing. 

“Let me,” Gamora stopped him with a look. He bit his lip, finally relenting with a grunt and a nod. Gamora crouched down,  a shiver running down her spine beholding Rocket’s face. Foreign eyes, large and dark with no distinction between pupil and iris. His wet nose sniffed experimentally “Rocket,” she whispered, intent on keeping her voice level. “Rocket it’s us...it’s alright. She knew better than to reach her hand out. Rocket only sniffed once more, his ears perked forward in a curious stare, whiskers quivering. She watched as he dropped on all fours again. “That’s it…” she continued, his face unreadable. All those times spent bickering, his relentlessly irritating argumentative rants, the memories continued to come back like waves, breaking upon her consciousness. All the late night hours spent down in the engine room helping him work out the kinks in his cybernetics...realizing they were both not quite monsters.  _ Come on Rocket you are better than this, stronger then this I know you are.  _ She searched for that knowledge in those dark eyes but there was nothing. He only licked at his nimble paws and padded off down the hall with disinterest. 

“What did it do to him?” Quill’s voice tore Gamora from her thoughts. “That place….how did he come back..?” The words of the red skull echoed in her mind…. _ a soul for a soul. No… _

“The soul stone requires the sacrifice of one soul for another,” she mumbled, carefully stepping down the hall. “But Rocket...he wasn’t born with a soul...at least not like ours.”

“What are you saying?” Quill’s voice hitched as they rounded the corner, Gamora searched for Rocket’s small form amid the boxes and weapons. 

“An uplift Peter,” she sighed. The weight of her return suddenly heavy. “He was uplifted in a lab.” She watched him take it in, the veins in his neck pulsing. A gun skidded across the ground by Rocket’s crawling.

“But...you mean...he’s not…” Quill looked at her with reproach. Gamora shook her head, eyes heavy with exhaustion. 

“He is as he was before...before he was given a soul.” Her face twisted in disgust, “as if it was a gift given to him by the grace of those scientist.” Images of Thanos torturing Nebula, the feel of his cold steel and electric devices against her own flesh.

\---

The stars gleamed beautifully through the large windows of the Benatar. The galaxy, so vast and infinite. Ever expansive. Unknowable. Like the soul realm itself. She took a breath, leaning against the cool glass. Groot sat across the common area, head hunched over his game. He hadn’t spoken since his last attempt to coax some sort of recognition from Rocket. The low tone of music emanated from their room. He too hadn’t said much. None of them had, all of them tip toeing around the dilemma. 

“Rocket!” He climbed up with his paws onto the lip of the bench where she sat. His wide eyes gazing out at the universe before them. She waited for some response, anything. Silence. He only raised his little hands to the window and licked at it. Gamora folded her knees to her chest. Rocket dropped to all fours, and she started as two little leathery paws clutched to her leg. “Rocket?” He only sniffled, eyes blinking with incomprehension. Words rose up inside her, the need to speak on some hope that somehow he would understand. 

“You were right, Rocket. I”m not a monster. And neither are you.” He only rubbed his paws together, licking at them. “I just wished it hadn’t taken this…” she shook her head as if the thought could escape her mind. He  had always pushed them away, always argued and cursed. So jaded and guarded. Rocket who hurt people and expected to be abandoned, who stole and drank and hated everything and everyone. He was really the most kind and soft-hearted, most compassionate one of them all. In his own way. “Thank you.” Gamora reached out a hand hesitantly. Rocket scurried down from the bench before she could touch him. He waddled across the common area to where Groot busied himself over his game. Only looking up in confusion as Rocket sniffed at his leg and began to climb. Up his side, around his torso and wound himself around Groot’s neck. Gamora let herself wonder as Groot looked perturbed, but flicked his game off. A small smile cracked on the edges of his mouth as he too leaned against the adjacent window. He reached up, gently stroking Rocket’s head. Gamora smiled, letting her eyes close. Some things never changed.

**Author's Note:**

> It's a shame there aren't more fics about Gamora and Rocket's friendship. I understand that they don't interact more in the movies but the two are remarkably similar in many respects. Both were torn from the only families they'd known, abused and manipulated and turned into weapons to serve as means towards other people's ends. I head-cannon that the two of them often bicker and fight when around everyone what with Gamora's practicality and Rocket's impulsiveness. Her compassion and trying to be a better person and Rocket's well many times selfish brashness. But privately the two share strong platonic friendship where Gamora will often repair any malfunctioning cybernetics and help w/ Rocket's chronic pain. Rocket will do the same for her and will try to comfort Gamora when she feels guilty about the things she's done under Thanos's direction "You did what you had to do to survive Gams, ain't no guilt in that. You were a kid. You should be proud of yourself you got out." Or something like that.
> 
> Okay rant over, I just want more fics w/ their dynamic.


End file.
